Government issues order to approve eight schemes estimated at ₹250 crore
Government issues order to approve eight schemes estimated at ₹250 crore
The Water Resources Department will build channels to bridge the missing links between various surplus courses and water bodies in and around Porur Lake as part of the flood-mitigation work.
A government order was issued on Tuesday to approve eight projects with an estimate of Rs 250 crore to prevent flooding in the city and suburbs. About Rs 100 crore has been allocated for construction of new channels and improvement of surplus course around Porur lake. After the 2015 floods, several works were undertaken to widen the Adyar and its tributaries. The department has drawn up projects to prevent flooding in the areas around the Adyar and Kosthalaiyar rivers by widening some stretches of the waterway.
Though about 18 permanent flood-mitigation projects have been chalked out at an estimated cost of Rs 1,297.49 crore, only a few of them will be given priority and will be started by the end of May due to paucity of funds.
Flood prevention was one of the major challenges in the areas around Porur, Mangadu and Ayyanpanthal belt, officials said. The surplus course of Porur lake had insufficient width and missing links. Apart from improving the regulators in Porur Lake, the carrying capacity of the surplus course of the reservoir will be increased.
A new channel will be constructed to connect the flood waters with the Porur surplus course from Thanthical channel near Koluthuvancherry road. The branch channels of the Thanthical channel were heavily encroached upon in rapidly urbanized areas and this led to flooding in areas including Ayyapanthangal and Koluthuvanchery during the monsoon last year.
Another cut and cover channel with a new sluice will be constructed in Porur lake to carry additional water to Ramapuram lake at a cost of Rs.39.60 crore.
The department has proposed to provide additional box culvert along the Chennai bypass of NHAI in Kundrathur taluk to provide relief from recurring floods in the neighboring areas.
“We have started the preparatory work and the work will be expedited to provide relief from waterlogging during the upcoming northeast monsoon,” an official said.